Weevil larvae of these species can excavate holes in the trunk of a palm tree up to 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches) long, thereby weakening and eventually killing the host plant.

[2] Originally from tropical Asia, this palm weevil (initially misidentified as the closely related species, R. ferrugineus) was recorded in the United States at Laguna Beach, CA late in 2010.

[2] Primarily due to the existence of numerous color forms across their ranges, the taxonomy and classification of red palm weevils has undergone a number of changes in understanding and circumscription.

The most recent genus-level revision in 1966[5] recognized two species of red palm weevils, ferrugineus and vulneratus, and for decades these were interpreted as separate taxa.

The larvae are also eaten either raw or roasted in the Malaysian Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak, and regarded as a special high-nutrient meal among the natives there like the Kadazan-Dusun, Melanau and the Dayak.